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My Basement Flooded… Now What?

December 12th, 2017 12:48 pm

With unpredictable winter weather ahead, the opportunities for water-related disasters are plenty– pipes can freeze and burst, rain and melting snow can raise groundwater levels, sewers can back up, or tiny cracks in your foundation can allow water to seep through the walls as the snow builds up along the side of your house.

No matter what the reason is, there’s nothing more unsettling than heading down to the basement stairs and finding a small swamp where your floor used to be. If that happens, what do you do?

First of all, make sure to keep kids and pets away from the area. Don’t try to wade into the water yourself either– it’s important to make sure that you’re not coming into contact with wet electrical wires or devices. You might be tempted to plug in your shop vac and try to start cleaning it up. That’s a hazardous task and it’s best left to professionals.

Contact your insurance agent. They’ll need to get a claim started for you right away. Your agent will get the ball rolling for you and will most likely suggest that you contact a licensed and certified water damage mitigation expert.

Contact that water mitigation expert right away. They’ll be able to safely determine the source of the water and either stop the flow or contact the right person to do so. They’ll fully document the damage for your insurance claim, and they’ll immediately begin assessing the damage and making a restoration plan.

What might that restoration plan include?

Obviously, the first step is to remove the water. Your certified water technicians will bring in the proper equipment to remove the standing water in your flooded basement, in order to begin assessing any other property damage you might have.

Create a drying plan. They’ll also bring in huge fans that will need to run 24/7 to ensure that all the moisture is removed from your home or business.

Perform regular inspections. The disaster restoration team you hire should perform daily inspections and keep logs on the moisture levels to ensure that your space is drying properly.

Restore your personal property. If you had furnishings or other valuables stored in your basement, the team should assess those items and let you know what can be saved.

Flooded basements can certainly be a pain, but they’re not the end of the world. With the right team of water mitigation experts on the job, that swamp will soon be a distant memory.

For more information on water restoration services and other disaster restoration information, visit Hays + Sons. If disaster strikes your home or business, help is just a phone call away.